The present invention relates generally to textile fabrics and, more particularly, to an elongated elastic textile band of indeterminate length formed with openings which permit air and moisture to pass through the fabric.
One of the traditional uses made of elasticized textile fabric bands and webs is in the fabrication of support belts, garments and devices worn on the body to support injured or weakened areas. To provide an optimal level of support in such applications, the textile band or fabric should have a high degree of elastic strength, commonly referred to as the elastic "power" of the fabric, and a correspondingly high degree of structural stability and integrity. Toward this end, elastic bands of the type commonly used in such garments and devices are customarily fabricated in relatively narrow widths, often less than one foot in width, with multiple elastic yarns extending in the warpwise direction in parallel relation to one another to provide substantial lengthwise elasticity to the band, but are generally inelastic in widthwise direction to provide the desired degree of structural integrity.
While elastic bands of the aforedescribed type have proven to perform satisfactorily in support garments and devices, one of the disadvantages is that the structure of the fabric which provides the desirable qualities of high elasticity and structural integrity also results in the fabric having very small interstices between the constituent yarns in the fabric structure such that passage of air and moisture through the fabric structure is significantly inhibited. As a result, support garments and devices made of such fabrics tend to produce excessive localized perspiration at the body areas covered without the ability of the perspiration to evaporate outwardly through the fabric. In turn, such support garments and devices can be uncomfortable if worn for extended time periods.
In an effort to address the foregoing problem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,445 discloses a "breathable" elastic fabric of a crochet-type warp knitted fabric construction forming multiple holes in the fabric structure intended to allow ventilation and escape of moisture therethrough. While the fabric described in this patent would likely provide better air and moisture permeability than conventional fabrics having no ventilation holes, the ventilation openings actually provided by this fabric are still relatively small and therefore provide only a minimal improvement over the preexisting state of the art.